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The latest movie theater news and updates
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June 4, 2010
IMAX and AMC to develop more IMAX-lite theaters for 2011
According to Reuters, AMC Entertainment, the 2nd largest theater operator in North America, and IMAX, the leader in 70mm and digital technology, will open 25-35 new IMAX Digital theaters in 2011 and extend the lease of current theaters to 10 years.
Imax and AMC intend to open 15 to 25 new Imax theaters in 2011 in both new markets and some markets where AMC already operates Imax theaters in North America, the two companies said in a joint statement.
Upon completion of the full roll-out, AMC will operate between 125 and 135 Imax theaters, the companies said.
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Consolidated Theaters launching Titan XC big screen experiences
HONOLULU, HI — Consolidated Theaters, which operates theaters under several names including Consolidated, Angelika Film Centers, and City Cinemas, is joining the list of the other theater chains in installing its own proprietary big screens. The First Titan XC screen has been installed in a renovated auditorium of the company’s Ward Stadium 16. The screen measures 66 feet by 35 feet. The auditorium also boasts Dolby 7.1 surround sound and an Xpand-D 3D projection system.
One of the theater’s largest auditoriums was completely redesigned to create a world-class, theater atmosphere. Consolidated Theatres' new Titan Extreme Cinema will feature:
Huge Screen: A newly-installed wall-to-wall screen, stretching more than 66 feet wide and 35 feet tall in Titan XC will be the largest commercial movie screen in the state of Hawai'i.
Read the full story in theHonolulu Advertiser.
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Marquee Restoration Help Needed
I am trying to find someone in Texas that can help restore my marquee, Total rewire and ect.
Anyone know where to start looking? -
Old Theater sound systems wanted
I am a collector of old theater sound systems, and related parts such as tubes, speakers, old amplifiers etc. I travel all around the U.S and will pick up and pay cash. Please call me at: 616-791-0867 or email me at: I will be happy to pay more than fair amounts for your unused equipment.
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June 3, 2010
Beverly Center Cinemas Closing Tonight
LOS ANGELES, CA — According to multiple sources, the Beverly Center 13 Cinemas, once one of the most prominent multiplexes in the United States and a longtime part of LA moviegoing, is closing tonight. Sources note that the theater is to be replaced by a new Forever 21 store. This news, coupled with the possible closure of the AMC Grand 24, marks a moment in exhibition history.
For more information and the discussion of its imminent closure, visit its Cinema Treasures page.
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AMC not renewing lease on Grand 24 in Dallas
DALLAS, TX — AMC will not be renewing its lease on the The Grand 24 which is said to have been the country’s first megaplex when it opened in 1995. The propety’s owner hopes to sign a new agreement with another operator.
Defined as any theater with 14 or more screens, the megaplex represented theater exhibitors applying the “big box store” strategy to movies, hoping to dominate a market by showing almost all the current films on several screens in one location. Besides convenience, megaplexes introduced such innovations as stadium seating and a digital picture that arguably improved movie-watching. Critics, however, said the supersizing also fed Hollywood’s taste for purely commercial blockbusters. Also, almost all of the big chains — but not AMC — eventually went bankrupt because of the massive construction costs.
The boom also gave birth in 1997 to Entertainment Properties Trust (NYSE: EPR), a Kansas City-based real estate investment trust that former AMC CEO Peter Brown helped form to develop and own the massive buildings. EPT now owns 96 megaplexes for several theater operators.
The full story is in the Kansas City Business Journal.
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Cricket Theatre added to Alabama Places in Peril
COLLINSVILLE, AL — The Cricket Theatre is one of 11 listings in the 2010 Places in Peril list sponsored by the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation and the Alabama Historical Commission. This 1946 theatre was the center of entertainment in Collinsville prior to its closing in 1964. The Collinsville Historical Association has recently acquired the but a partially collapsed roof is challenging their efforts to restore the theatre.
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Ten Screen multiplex opens in Warner Robbins
WARNER ROBINS, GA — The Georgia Theatre Company opened the Houston Lakes Stadium Cinemas on May 27. Currently offering ten screens, the theater has the potential to be expanded to twenty.
The 2000-seat, 30,000-square-foot theater is designed to allow future expansion for four more screens, according to a news release from the Georgia Theatre Co.
“This is the first theater to be unveiled this year in the state, an impressive statistic,” Aubrey Stone, president of Georgia Theatre Co., said in the release. “We are proud to offer the very latest in theater technology to make the movie-going experience in Warner Robins and the entire area more comfortable and exciting than ever before.”
Read the full story at Macon.com.
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June 2, 2010
Canal Place Cinemas gets major makeover, new name
NEW ORLEANS, LA — The Canal Place Cinemas re-opened on May 26 as The Theatres at Canal Place. Southern Theatres, which took the theater over from Landmark last year, has basically given the place a gut rehab, redesigning the floor plan and enlarging the footprint by adding space from the food court to create a fifth screening room. It is, at least for now, an 18+ theater as bar and café service is available along with improved seating and digital projection (one cinema will still be equipped for 35mm though).
Soon after Southern Theatres assumed the lease from Landmark Theatres last September, the aging multiplex was closed and “stripped to the girders” in preparation for the facelift, Southern Theatres owner George Solomon said.
The old cloth seats were replaced with high-back leather rockers. Risers were added to provide a “gentle” stadium seating configuration, improving sight lines. New screens, new projectors and new audio systems were installed. The familiar box office was torn out, replaced with a pair of electronic ticketing kiosks.
“Everything people used to tell me they didn’t like about the old Canal Place, it’s been changed,” Jones said.
The full story is in the Times-Picayune.
The new official website is: http://www.thetheatres.com/
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Century Center closes
CARRBORO, NC — The Carrboro Century Center Cinema, located in Downtown Carrboro, with its monthly cinema series sponsored by the Town of Carrboro, is closing its doors after three years of film showings. The Carrboro Cinema included independent films from a variety of different cultures and genres including showings of classic films as well.